A DNA sample taken 25 years ago landed a man in court this week accused of rape.

It was taken from a young mother who claimed she had been attacked in a Salisbury park as she made her way home from a charity pub crawl.

A cold case review matched the sample to one taken in 2003 from Peter Harfield on an unrelated matter, with a probability of 60 million to one, Salisbury Crown Court heard.

Harfield, 57, who address was given as Crescent Tarrant, Andover denies raping the woman, who is now 44. He admits having sex with her in Bourne Hill Gardens in March 1983, but claims she consented.

On Tuesday the woman, who gave evidence from behind a screen, wept in court as she relived the night of the alleged attack.

Then 19, and married with a baby son, she had been out on the three-legged pub crawl with a girlfriend.

They were among a larger group trying to raise money for a hospital ventilator, the jury heard, and visited a dozen or more pubs, while her husband babysat at home.

The woman admitted that she had drunk around seven pints of bitter and was feeling "merry" as she began to walk home alone from the old William IV pub in Milford Street at 11.30pm.

She had reached the intersection of St Edmund's Church Street and Salt Lane when she became aware of a man following her. When she looked around, he seemed to have disappeared, and she became worried.

The court heard the woman crossed the road to put a distance between them, but the man then came right up to her, asking for sex. He even offered to pay her, although she had told him she was not a prostitute.

"He made me feel very uncomfortable and scared," she said, and as a result she changed direction, turning right into Salt Lane, then left into Greencroft Street, towards Bourne Hill Gardens, to try to avoid him.

"It wasn't the sort of place you would want to walk at night," she said, "but I wanted to get home quick."

However, when she reached the gardens, she said, the man ran up to her, grabbing her round the neck from behind.

He allegedly told her he had knife, and would kill her unless she did what he said, before dragging her into a gap in a hedge, partially removing her clothing and assaulting her.

She did not see the knife, but was so terrified she put up no resistance, she said. "I thought I was going to die.

"I was petrified. I didn't struggle, I did what he wanted. I just blanked it all out. I thought about my son and my husband."

Afterwards, she said, the man apologised and again offered her money, asking her not to tell the police what had happened.

He said he wanted to meet her again, and she agreed, thinking that she would be able to lead the police to him. The man then walked off, she went home and told her husband what had happened, and he called the police.

The case continues.

12:02pm Wednesday 27th August 2008

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